Eastbourne Balloon Festival

An Eastbourne Event but run in Hampden Park
The idea of an event in Hampden Park has grown from inviting a balloon to visit the park to 20 balloons coming for a weekend, flying morning and evening weather permitting. A fleet of 8-10 helicopters flying in with the Mayor on the Saturday morning to officially open the event and there being something for everyone for the full two days.

There has been a tremendous response to the idea of this Festival weekend in Hampden Park and the vision at the moment includes people running a cookery marquee with Ready, Steady, Cook plus demonstrations. There will be opportunities to promote different companies inside and outside the marquee for the full two days.

There is to be a floral marquee with Gardner’s Question Time and floral demonstrations at different times during the two days. There will be opportunities to promote all sorts of associated trades and businesses inside and outside the marquee with a competition for local floral clubs.

There is a children’s area where the community children will already know through school visits and workshops during the year that they are going to make a kite and have a flying competition, there will be balloon themed games and opportunities for all ages in the marquee with competitions and fun.

The Eastbourne Dog Show wants to have their annual event running alongside our Festival on the Sunday and this is always popular with doggy people and not.

There has been a suggestion that we have a fun fair as well as the usual bouncy castles, and fun rides. A miniature sit on steam train ride. A climbing frame for children and roll-in-a-ball. I am sure we will have face painting and perhaps opportunities for young and older children to display on the stage their dance and aerobic routines plus local school bands having the opportunity of a ‘gig’.

There will be street markets, one for charities, one for craft work and a general street market for the usual small groups in Hampden Park who always support this sort of event.

The Saturday evening will be a first for the south east of England. There will be a balloon NightGlow where the balloons are inflated and tethered and then their pilots will ‘burn off’ to music coordinated by our internationally renowned music director finalising in a spectacular fireworks display, unrivalled even by those the Council run on the sea front, and this one will be in Hampden Park.